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We’ve all been there. It’s long after the time when most people eat lunch and your stomach is making noises that you pray nobody else can hear. Maybe you’re at the mall and you’ve lost all track of time or perhaps you’re getting together with friends or family and they all want to go out and grab some food. It doesn’t matter where you are or who you’re with, it’s not that difficult to find some good keto food on the go.

Of course, it’s always best if you’re able to plan ahead and pack keto snacks when you’re going to be away from home, but let’s face it, our lives are hectic and most of the time, what we’re going to eat later is the last thing on our minds.

So what do you do when you’re not at home, starving, and the only things around you are fast food restaurants or food courts? Simply follow our guide and you won’t have to worry about ruining your diet.

It’s inevitable. At some point during your weight loss journey, you’re going to hit a keto stall. It happens to everyone and it might seem impossible to break. Sometimes a keto stall can happen for a short period of time, but sometimes it can last for months. This is often the most discouraging point during anyone’s weight loss journey but luckily, there are two simple tricks you can use to break your keto stall without even trying.

Calculating servings can be difficult, but it’s especially challenging if you don’t have any experience doing it. Just like riding a bike, everything takes practice and once you get the hang of it, it’s a simple task that’s easy to do. Luckily, figuring out how to calculate serving size and calories isn’t as hard as you might think it is.

A lot of people are unaware that there is a difference between the two types of diets. In fact, it was a little surprising how many people I saw in various communities asking about a low carb vs. keto diet. There is quite a bit of difference between the two and it’s important to understand each one.

What is a low carb diet?

Typically, a low carb diet consists of staying within a range of 50-100 grams of net carbohydrates per day. Some individuals will eat up to 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, depending on the person and what type of lifestyle they live. Certain people are more active than others and can get away with or need more carbs while others don’t.

Keto strips are widely popular in the keto world because they can detect ketones in your urine. This allows individuals to test themselves to see whether or not they are in ketosis.You can either hold the end of the stick in your urine stream or you may dip them in a sample should you use a cup. This can be a great tool to make
sure that you’re on the right track. But not all keto strips are created equally and certain factors can, and do, change the way that they work.

Tracking macros is easy, as long as you know how. If you’re new to tracking your food, don’t worry if you sometimes forget or aren’t sure how to figure everything out the first day that you do it. There’s a bit of a learning curve, and you need to know what everything is so you can accurately record what you’re putting into your body. Macros consists of accounting for all carbs, calories, fat and protein that you consume throughout the day.

If you’ve done any research about keto or low carb dieting, chances are you’ve seen the term intermittent fasting. Some forums and groups refer to intermittent fasting as IF. It might sound intimidating but it’s a fairly simple process where you cycle between periods of eating. There aren’t any restrictions as to what you can eat, so long as it fits within your macros, but you do establish an eating pattern. This isn’t just for low carb dieting or for those who do keto. It’s popularly used on other diets such as low-calorie, low-fat and similar types of diets.

There’s no question that your body can become addicted to carbohydrates in much the same way it can become addicted to drugs and alcohol. Over the years, many people have tried arguing that sugar addiction isn’t real and that carb addiction is nothing more than something for dieters to complain about.

As low-carb diets started to become more common, researchers started paying more attention. According to a study performed by Princeton University, there were significant similarities between those withdrawing from drugs and those withdrawing from sugar. This is because sugar and carbs send the same pleasure signals to the reward center of your brain, making you crave more because it quickly fades.

Fortunately, carb addiction is not as difficult to overcome as drug or alcohol addiction, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any symptoms at first. Some people experience what is known as keto flu, which is a form or withdrawal. Fortunately, keto flu is typically gone within a few days and once you’re about two weeks into a ketogenic diet, your cravings should be gone. Of course, that doesn’t mean you’ll never crave carbs, but it will be easier to manage those cravings.

So what do you do in the beginning when you are craving those carbs and don’t think you’re going to make it? How can you ever overcome an addiction so strong, you’ve been living with it your entire life? That’s where we come in. Follow our tips to make your life a little easier, at least for the next couple of weeks!

Don’t Get Hungry

Hey, I saw you roll your eyes, but just hear me out! Imagine how much easier it would be to prevent carb cravings if you didn’t allow yourself to get hungry. It’s pretty well-known that many people can’t tell the difference between actually being hungry and having a craving for something. You can thank you brain for that one. When you’re craving something such as carbs, the only way your brain knows to signal the craving is by sending hunger signals.

The next time you really want something and you aren’t sure whether it’s hunger or cravings, look for the physical signs that you’re hungry. Is your stomach rumbling and making noises? You’re probably actually hungry. Nothing happening in the tummy area? That means there are no physical hunger symptoms and you’re just craving something. Of course, this is easier said than done. Wouldn’t it be easier to prevent this signals in the first place? You can!

Time your meals so you don’t get hungry. If you’re like most people, you probably try to space your meals out so they’re four or more hours apart. This is common because if you eat more frequently, you probably think you’re consuming too much food. There is an easy way around this, however. Take your meal and make two portions out of it and then eat them in two-hour intervals. This way of eating provides you with the same amount of food, but your body thinks it’s getting fed more regularly, which keeps you satisfied and keeps your cravings in check.

When preparing your meals, it’s going to be essential that you include plenty of healthy fats. Not only are fats the most filling thing you can eat, but they will tell your brain that you’re full, keeping the brain from sending those signals for starches and sugars.

Occupy Your Time

Busy people often don’t have time to eat, but that isn’t exactly healthy. There is something to that philosophy, however. When you are keeping yourself busy, your are occupying your brain and giving it something to focus on other than wanting the foods that you have no intention of putting into your body. It doesn’t matter what you choose to do. You can read a book, clean the house, find a hobby. Do something to occupy your time and your mind.

By keeping yourself busy, you ensure that you’re not going to get bored. Studies performed at California State University showed that participants who were bored binged more on carbs a lot more than those who were kept busy. I highly recommend finding something you enjoy and making it a regular part of your lifestyle.

Replace The Carbs

Even after taking the steps above, there are going to be times when you just want something to eat to fill the void that ditching the carbs has left behind. There are a number of things you can try that act as healthy replacements for the carbs you gave up. One of my favorite things to do is to take sliced pepperoni, put them on a paper towel covered plate and microwave them until they get crispy. I use them like a chip for guacamole or buffalo chicken dip.

Of course, you can also snack on lunch meat and cheese, nuts, olives, broccoli with ranch or a big salad. There are lots of good things out there than can replace carbohydrates, it’s all about making good choices and going from there.

But what about foods that there doesn’t seem to be a replacement for? What do you do for things like bread and candy? What if I told you that there are low-carb options when it comes to convenience food as well? In fact, I even wrote an article on the 10 Best Low-Carb Items that can be purchased on Amazon and delivered to your home within just a couple of days. The list includes bread (at just 1 carb per slice), protein bars that actually taste like birthday cake, and lots more.

When cutting carbs, getting beyond those first two weeks is the most important thing, followed closely by getting all the carbs out of your house if they’re too tempting to be around. If you have a secret stash of carb-filled goodies, I can almost guarantee that you’ll think about them so much that you’ll eventually cave and eat them. Avoid the carbs for a couple of weeks. After that, you’re not going to miss them nearly as much. By following these steps, you can take control over carbs and take back your health once and for all.